International

The Last Supper

Art



Two years ago I walked into the Now's the Time exhibition that Black Rat Press held at their premises, in London. 

Two pieces in the exhibition were mine, I had lend them out to BRP for the ocassion (it's always exciting to see works you own displayed in public, although it makes one feel slightly exhibitionistic): a Barry McGee cluster and a Banksy canvas (The Key to Making Great Art...). It was packed with people, and lots of great art was hanging at the walls: Basquiat, Faile, Swoon, Small, Os Gemeos, and Banksy and McGee obviously... But what really struck me were two smoking & drinking robots, made out of scrap metal, swearing at the audience and making vicious remarks about immigrants. Drunken Tories, they were titled, and I knew: I want one. After negotiating a bit I got myself a robot, one that is taking a bit of a piss (but not really) out of Banksy, whom he mistakenly calls Swampy. Here it is, sitting in my living room. 

Okay.

Now, the man who made these wonderful robots, Giles Walker, is a great bloke, and he came to Holland, because Swampy (as I titled the work) was shown at a Banksy Party (thrown when Banksy's movie Exit Through the Gift Shop was released in Holland) in Amsterdam and Giles had to install it himself.

Today I received the invitation for a solo show at BRP, called The Last Supper, and it promises to be a cracking show. The press release says: "On Saturday 24th March Black Rat will be hosting the preview of Giles Walker’s extraordinary Last Supper. A year in the making this remarkable work is a fully animated sculpture consisting of thirteen mechanical figures who interact around a table. Simultaneously humorous and frightening The Last Supper surpasses the audience’s initial interest in the robotic elements of the piece and draws us into the questions it poses and the all too human aspects it addresses. It promises to leave a lasting impression on those who have the opportunity to experience it."

So, get your ass over there and go and it see it. Giles Walker is massively talented and his robots are well worth checking out. Here's more of him.

Update: here's the smashing clip.